One of the expressions that we most commonly hear from those who love us is “to take care of yourself!” Sometimes it is meant to show care and concern and at other times deep worry that the person you care for is putting themselves into a dangerous situation. In today’s Gospel, Jesus sounds more like the second person who is worrying about how well we are taking care of our souls. Listen to His words in Luke’s Gospel. “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy…”. And, “Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent…” As we begin the Advent season, we need to perk up and listen to today’s message from Jesus to us. To put Jesus’ concern into more modern expression, might He not be saying to us, “Dare to self-care!” That’s right. It feels like Jesus is daring us to take Him seriously. For He knows that this time of the year can drain our inner soul, with all the commercial pressure to shop and to exhaust ourselves with mindless activity. We can feel like a wet dish rag. Many end up thinking to themselves: “I can’t wait for these holidays to get over!” Let’s face it, our culture isn’t going to change as we have already seen Christmas advertising appear way before December 25th. The pressure and stress that comes with the season can be overbearing. Jesus wants us to rest, to reflect upon the important parts of life, and grow closer to God. We are called to pray more during Advent, to listen more to what the voice of God is saying to us. I am going to list some of the common impediments to self-care, so that we may strive to remove them as we listen to God who worries about our spiritual health. See if you can identify any of these in your life and ask the Lord to help you rid yourself of them: Over Responsibility, thinking I have to take care of everyone else at the price of neglecting myself; Perfectionism, believing that doing things perfectly make me and others more perfect people; Wanting to be in control all the time; Not knowing how to say “No” when I have to; Saying “Yes: too quickly to everyone’s demands; False perceptions about God’s expectations of me. All of these impediments to self-care cause me to become disconnected from myself, whether emotionally, physically, or spiritually. So, I challenge each one of us to “Dare to Self-Care.” You and I are precious in God’s eyes and He doesn’t want us to ruin His creation. ~ Fr. John
